Tram systems in Vantaa
Vantaa, known as Vanda in Swedish, is situated immediately north of Helsinki and forms part of the Helsinki metropolitan area. It is the fourth-most populous city in Finland and is officially bilingual in Finnish and Swedish.
Unlike cities built around a single historic centre, Vantaa developed around several separate settlements and transport corridors. Tikkurila is its administrative centre, while other important districts include Myyrmäki, Hakunila, Korso, Kivistö and Aviapolis.
Helsinki Airport, Finland's principal international airport, is located in Vantaa. The city is also home to the Heureka science centre, the medieval Church of St Lawrence and extensive residential, commercial and logistics areas surrounding Ring III.
Public transport forms part of the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority network, commonly known as HSL. Services include commuter trains and an extensive network of conventional and trunk buses connecting Vantaa with Helsinki, Espoo, Kerava and neighbouring municipalities.
Tikkurila is Vantaa's principal railway station and is served by commuter and long-distance trains. The Main Line provides services through eastern Vantaa, while the western railway serves districts including Myyrmäki and Martinlaakso.
The Ring Rail Line connects these corridors through Kivistö, Aviapolis and Helsinki Airport. It is served by circular I and P trains and has formed the backbone of rail travel within Vantaa since opening in 2015.
Vantaa does not yet have an operational tramway. A new standard-gauge light-rail line is under construction between Mellunmäki, Hakunila, Tikkurila and Aviapolis.
Most of the approximately 18-kilometre route will be located in Vantaa, although its eastern terminus at Mellunmäki metro station lies inside Helsinki. The line will provide an east–west connection across Vantaa and interchange with the metro and commuter railway.
Passenger services are currently planned to begin during 2029. An additional section from Aviapolis to a terminus close to the Helsinki Airport terminal remains subject to a separate decision.
The Vantaa light-rail project developed from proposals to replace the heavily used trunk bus route 570 with a higher-capacity connection across the city. Preliminary planning examined a route between Mellunmäki, Hakunila, Tikkurila, Aviapolis and Helsinki Airport.
Vantaa City Council approved continued detailed planning in December 2019. The scheme was developed as part of a wider strategy to concentrate new homes, employment and services around high-capacity public transport.
The council approved the light-rail project in principle in May 2023. Detailed design, utility relocation and preparations for construction subsequently continued through alliance-based project organisations.
Preparatory work at Tikkurila began during June 2025. This included constructing new railway bridges so that the light rail could eventually pass beneath the railway station in a tunnel.
A final construction and funding decision followed in November 2025. The approved programme had an estimated cost of approximately €750 million and provided for passenger services to begin during 2029.
The approved line will begin at Mellunmäki metro station in Helsinki. It will enter Vantaa through Länsimäki before continuing through Hakunila, Kuninkaala and Jokiniemi to Tikkurila.
At Tikkurila, the line will pass beneath the main railway in a new tunnel and provide interchange with commuter and long-distance trains. It will then continue west through commercial and employment areas around Jumbo and Aviapolis before terminating near Aviapolis railway station.
The line will largely replace trunk bus route 570 and provide direct journeys between districts which presently require bus travel or an indirect journey through Helsinki. It is also intended to support substantial residential and commercial development along its corridor.
Main construction began in December 2025. During 2026, works expanded to locations including Länsimäentie, Hakunilantie, Tikkurila, Jokiniemi, Tikkurilantie and Aviapolis.
The project includes substantially more than the installation of tram tracks. Streets along the route are being rebuilt with new utility infrastructure, pedestrian and cycle routes, junctions, bridges, landscaping and public spaces.
Work is scheduled to continue until 2029. Testing and commissioning will follow completion of the principal infrastructure before passenger services begin. The opening year remains dependent upon construction progress, vehicle availability and successful testing.
Current works and local construction schedules are published by the City of Vantaa.
The original project envisaged continuing approximately 1.5 kilometres beyond Aviapolis to a terminus close to the Helsinki Airport passenger terminal. This section was omitted from the construction package approved in November 2025 while the city and airport operator Finavia continued discussions about its alignment and implementation.
Vantaa intends to make a separate decision on the airport section, potentially during 2027. The city's stated objective is to complete it alongside the remainder of the light railway so that services can reach close to the airport terminal when operation begins in 2029.
This outcome is not yet guaranteed. Unless the additional section is approved in time, the initial service will terminate at Aviapolis, from where the existing Ring Rail Line provides a connection to the airport station. Further information about the decision and proposed extension is available from Yle.